SPOILER ALERT: I would stop reading right about now if you’re looking for a surprise. I won’t divulge the ending, but even the plot is a bit of a mystery when you first pick up the book. Then again, I downloaded the audiobook off iTunes before even reading the summary.

A 36-year-old woman named Marian is faced with her past when her daughter Kirby, whom she gave up for adoption at 18, returns into in her perfectly-planned, successful life. Another twist? The boy she was once in love as a teenager (and the father of Kirby) is suddenly forced back into her life as she confronts the past with him, too. In the midst of everything, she must re-consider her “life plan,” the choices she made, and her future. The story is told from the perspective of both Kirby and Marian.

2 Cents from Girl & Town

What I loved about this book is that it called into question the “life plan” we often give ourselves. While the story was about Marian’s choice at 18 to give her daughter up for adoption, it was also about the plan she made for herself and her life. Becoming a successful television producer and fulfilling her own expectations. Realizing much later that those may have not have been the things that would make her happy. And understanding life is messy and riddled with choices and decisions – big and small – that we are constantly making.

I know I have surprised myself with changes that have happened in the last year. The past six months have certainly been an adventure for which I’ve been unable to plan or prepare for… I’m still learning to let go and know its okay for some questions to be left unanswered. Like where we’re going to live in six months : )